Devotionals by Focal Point

The biblical account of the devastating turn of events in Job’s life and his subsequent restoration is a reminder to us of just how little we actually know about the various happenings that take place in our lives. We are ignorant of many of the spiritual battles and divine purposes, which affect the circumstances of our lives. We are often like Job and his friends who, without any possible way of knowing the actual realities, rush to make sense of the good or the bad things that happen to us. As Proverbs reminds us, “A man’s steps are from the Lord; how then can a man understand his way?” (Proverbs 20:24) We must never forget that the all-wise God is at work in every corner of the universe and his transcendent plans always supersede our plans and usually our understanding. “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps” (Proverbs 16:9) and “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). These realizations may make us feel much smaller than our human inclinations prefer, but they will certainly spare us the frustration and embarrassment of jumping to wildly inaccurate conclusions about the occurrences in our lives. We are also able to gain that unrivaled peace which comes from knowing that as his child “God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
--Pastor Mike

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It’s popular for people to say that “death is simply a part of life.” But the truth is, nothing could be more antithetical to life than death. From a biblical perspective, the only thing “natural” about death is that all of nature has been unwillingly made subject to it. The Bible reveals that God’s creation was not initially designed to undergo physical death. Death was the disciplinary response to the rebellion of our archetypal parents. Adam and Eve’s sin—and ours—remind us why death is the sentence we each must bear.

But there is good news. Christ has come to conquer death! At His first coming, He won the war. At His second coming, He will depose our enemy forever. In this wonderful book for children of all ages, this special 25th anniversary edition of The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt tells the story of Christ’s life, death and resurrection from a unique and poignant perspective. I invite you to request a copy when you give a donation of any amount.